Futuristic Starpath X: For All Mankind

[joshuadim]

"We've disabled two enemy tanks," Krawczyk answered. "We have some wounded, one dead. We're evaluating our combat readiness. We will try to cut north, soon, but Squad 10 will be unable to join you as we originally planned. They'll be staying with us. Over."

The comms remained quiet for a few moments before a grunt was heard on the other end. "I will ask the kano'dyar then if we should keep pushing." Jemmez then said before the connection broke off. Mazurek remained quiet as he observed Krawczyk after announcing that Squad 10 would remain with them, while also watching as she barked orders to get everyone on their feet as fast as possible. She seemed determined, almost frantically so, to get to their objective. He remained silent, however, as it seemed that they were in decent enough shape to get back on track once medical supplies were passed around.

So long as they were capable, Mazurek wouldn't complain. He wanted more Upyri blood spilled. Instead, he rested his arms atop his gun as it hung from from his neck with a strap and approached Kang again: "Ready?" he asked in no uncertain terms. "No rest for us boots."

---

Jemmez, in the meantime, had closed the connection with some frustration visible in his eyes as the humans made clear that they would be sticking together and not joining him and his warriors. This made the unpleasant option of asking the Kanads for further instruction the only choice at the moment, as he turned to another of his fighters. An older Ursa by the name of Jo'tal was the one most fluent in the Kanad language, as he had served previously as a hired mercenary for a Kanad force before. Jemmez grunted towards his compatriot: ["Reach them. Inform them of our position, and ask if we should continue an advance. I will not create a bulge to be surrounded in."]

Jor'tal nodded as he tuned his communications earpiece towards the Kanad military channel and attempted to open a line before speaking with slightly broken Kanad: ["This force of Clan Blacktooth. We breach Upyri defenses at judgement house and human houses. Commander ask we advance more?"]

 

[Infab]

Scratch two more tanks... and some marines. Sam watched the smoldering wreckages, the plumes of smoke and wavering flames rising above the destroyed tanks. Once it was determined that things were safe for the moment, he soon moved to check the bodies of the marines for any supplies they might have still had on them. The El'uth's rifles seemed to do some particularly nasty damage to infantry, as they used exceptionally high caliber ammunition that was (by Human standards) used for anti-vehicular purposes. He had seen one of the soldiers get hit, jerking sideways and sent sailing through the air a few feet before hitting the ground like a sack of bricks.

Supposedly the El'uth had even bigger rifles that they saved for harder targets, like APCs and bunkers. He'd hate to see what those would do to a person.

Adam remained with the rest of the group, watching the El'uth approach. Most of his attention, however, was on Boyan and a particularly notable Upyri-issue bag that had been fastened to his waist. He had seen a few of those before, but refused to comment on it until the time was right. Well, comment about as much as he knew on the subject, anyway.

"Hail, sons and daughters of Terra." spoke one of them. Female, by the tone of her voice, but rough. Almost hellish, even, as if her vocal cords were damaged. As they neared, both removed their strange garbage-coated ghillie hood and revealed their faces. They resembled the El'uth the group had encountered before, whom had given them Adam, but both of these El'uth bore tribal markings across their faces and heads. It made most of the group think of war paints from old Earth history.

Upon closer inspection, however, they would notice the lead El'uth had rather brutal scarring across her mouth and throat. It looked as though she had been tortured at one point, as several of the scars resembled knife marks. The rest? Chemical scarring.

Adam recognized the scarring. The Upyri apparently had tried to force some kind of acid down her throat. An Honor Guard torture tactic.

"You happened along at a most excellent time. We were intending to move to support the attack on the main entrance of the Gateway, but noticed these two metal boxes." said the leader, motioning to the wreckages as they stepped up to Oberto. "We were going to plant boom sticks on their engines, but your rockets did the job for us. Leaving us to help pick off the footmen."

She looked at the rest of the group, before noticing Adam. Her eyes drifted to Adam's armor, and a look of pure hatred washed over her face. She glared at him for a few moments, with Adam simply casting his gaze towards the ground. He'd probably be getting similar looks from now on. He'd have to get used to it.

After a few moments, the other sniper spoke up. "...You said that you needed assistance? How may we help?" they said, before motioning to the scarred El'uth. "I am Ja'thal, and this is Ki'mun. We are both of Clan Xi'tak."

 

[K0mori]

So long as they were capable, Mazurek wouldn't complain. He wanted more Upyri blood spilled. Instead, he rested his arms atop his gun as it hung from from his neck with a strap and approached Kang again: "Ready?" he asked in no uncertain terms. "No rest for us boots."

Kang nodded. "Yeah... Ready," she had replied, before setting to work in silence. Mazurek recognized that Squad 9's translator was deeply frustrated with the near total collapse of the unit in the last half hour in a way which couldn't be shaken off with a simple it-is-what-it-is style maxim. Even as they rode to the frontline and regained their strength, the stitches and pills and bandages and splints were only enough to render them fully combat-effective; it didn't fully erase the pain, and it certainly wouldn't heal the unseen scars they were steadily gathering as they pushed through the traumatic experiences of war.

Once the APC was moving, Kang refilled her canteen from the vehicle's supply, took a deep drink, and then sighed in a way which everyone present could feel. The lull in the action had given her enough time to process her thoughts and though she was far from ready to witness another comrade die, she was in much better shape than when Mazurek had asked her earlier. And once they had claimed a far more competent victory against Upyri armor and linked up once again with alien allies, Kang spoke to him again. "We should see if we can get more of these plasma weapons," she said. "You should try it, it's better than our gear."

She turned the plasma pistol around and offered it to the corporal. She was still wearing her standard-issue pistol in a leg holster, and gave it a pat as if to assure Mazurek that she would still be safe without the alien weapon.

---
​

["This force of Clan Blacktooth. We breach Upyri defenses at judgement house and human houses. Commander ask we advance more?"]

Dropping down from a rooftop to rejoin her commander, Ikrye swooped to a graceful stop just as the comm link activated. "[We hear you, Clan Blacktooth. Please stand by,]" she answered. Naghan, meanwhile, was sitting in the shade of the Kosok tank and receiving a biological infusion to help heal his wounds. The unseen microscopic agents within the injection would be attracted to signs of inflammation or infection and, like stem cells, quickly transform themselves to analogous tissue and integrate with the flesh as needed. Ikrye looked at him for his response.

The Sargent raised his head and curled a lip. "[What.]"

"[Did you lose your comm link? The ursataari are on the comms.]"

Naghan's expression changed. He reached for his chest and felt the points of impact where he was struck by the enemy MG. "[I think... I think the comm unit is underneath here. I'll need a backup. What do they want, anyway?]"

"[They've broken through enemy lines and want to know if they should keep moving east,]" Ikrye explained. Naghan activated the holoprojector in his wrist and took note of the positions of his allies on the map. From what he could tell, the human unit Patrol 2 had finally stalled on their relentless path of attack, and despite his contempt for them, he was mildly relieved to see it. It was frustrating enough to be on this backwater planet fighting alongside its occupants; it would be intolerable to be fighting on behalf of them.

As a result of this slow progress, the ursas were already overextended in comparison to the coalition's needs, and would have to hold their ground for the time being until the humans could finally catch up. Even then, Naghan doubted that Patrol 2 would be of much help. They had been driving the front line forward all day long and would doubtlessly be exhausted. To the southeast of Patrol 2, however, it appeared that the UFS had sent Patrol 5 to reinforce the attack. "[Tell them to take a defensive stance where they are. Several fresh squads from the human ranks will be joining them soon.]"

Ikrye nodded. "[Yes sir.]" she then opened the comm link and replied: "[Clan Blacktooth, hold your ground. The humans to your immediate southwest are badly fatigued and would likely hinder you. Another unit is nearby and headed in your direction.]"

At that moment, the driver of the Kosok tank opened her hatch. A kanad with fiery red hair and amber-colored eyes, she shouted- "[Anyone know where the Sergeant is?]"

"[I'm here!]" Naghan snapped, now keenly aware of his lack of commlink. He snapped up his rifle and circled around to the side of the vehicle. "My link is down. Get me one of the backups from the case,]" he demanded, and the other kanad disappeared briefly into the dark hole. She emerged a moment later with a small black object. Naghan took it, clipping it onto his ear. "[Everyone hear me now?]" he asked.

A few of the members of his unit spoke up to confirm. Then, the other kanad declared that the tank had just been repaired, and with an almost giddy enthusiasm, declared hat they could begin their advance again.

"[Fair enough,]" Naghan grumbled. "[Shar, take us in slow, as before.]"

"[Yes sir,]" the red-haired kanad replied. The tank lurched back into motion, still sagging a bit on one corner, but still effective enough at passing over uneven ground. The Kosoks crossed the plaza to the now-destroyed front windows of the spaceport and entered the building.

---
​

After a few moments, the other sniper spoke up. "...You said that you needed assistance? How may we help?" they said, before motioning to the scarred El'uth. "I am Ja'thal, and this is Ki'mun. We are both of Clan Xi'tak."

"Hmph. The Kosoks are out that way," Krawczyk commented, sounding a bit annoyed that the El'uth were relocating to perhaps the most well-prepared section of the frontline.

Oberto ignored her and continued. "My name is Oberto, and this is Krawczyk. We're in command of a unit called Patrol 2, and we're going to try to enter the fuel plant up that way," he said with a quick gesture. "We need to evacuate any civilians who might have been forced to work for the Upyri. I take it you all have a good grip on our surroundings out here. Is there a good entrance into the refinery that would help us, well, not die?"

 

[Infab]

"We need to evacuate any civilians who might have been forced to work for the Upyri. I take it you all have a good grip on our surroundings out here. Is there a good entrance into the refinery that would help us, well, not die?"

Ki'mun finally broke her gaze at Adam, shifting her attention back to Oberto. "Ah, you are in need of an alternate route." she soon said. Every time she spoke, it sounded painful, but she seemed used to it.

She glanced back to Ja'thal, and the two exchanged a few short words in their own native tongue. Then, she and Ja'thal both nodded as they looked back to Oberto. Seemed they agreed on something.

"We will show you a good location in the fence line. Wirecutters will be needed, or a torch." Ki'mun spoke afterwards. "We will also join you in your endeavor. Lines of sight are great on the fuel plant's grounds, and there are many hiding spots. We can provide sniper support, along with anti-vehicular fire. Should it be needed."

"The civilians will need someone to lead them out to safety, which I can do once they are all gathered and secured." added Ja'thal, "And I can point out a supply cache nearby that our clansmen set up for coalition forces, should you need to restock. Medical kits, ammunition, weapons. Packaged food too."

Adam cocked an eyebrow. "You two really take your scouting duties seriously." he said, surprised by how thorough the El'uth had been during this invasion.

Ki'mun responded, without looking in his directon. "I shall do whatever it takes to end your reign over us and the others, and exact revenge for all the pain and suffering your kind brought down from the skies upon us."

 

[K0mori]

Adam cocked an eyebrow. "You two really take your scouting duties seriously." he said, surprised by how thorough the El'uth had been during this invasion.

Ki'mun responded, without looking in his directon. "I shall do whatever it takes to end your reign over us and the others, and exact revenge for all the pain and suffering your kind brought down from the skies upon us."

"Zetter, shut the fuck up," Krawczyk snapped.

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek remained quiet, keeping an eye on Kang as they continued their advance. He could tell that if Krawczyk pushed her - and others - further then there would be problems. He would voice those concerns should their next engagement be as difficult as the last. It was then that, before stopping at the outskirts of the fuel plant, that Kang offered Mazurek her plasma pistol that she had acquired. For a moment he hesitated as he looked towards her and the weapon, and was close to protesting. However, she indicated that she *would* be alright. It wasn't as though she was completely weaponless without it.

Gently he took it from her and looked it over for a moment, getting a feel for its weight and grip. It was definitely made of materials lighter than their guns, and its internal power supply gave a barely noticeable purr - like a cat begging to be scratched, or in this case fired. "Alright." Mazurek said, moving his rifle to be slung on his back rather than the front. "Don't take any unnecessary risks, yeah?"

His attention then shifted when Krawczyk chastisted the Upyri prisoner they held onto, and he couldn't help but give off a chuckle. Seems that their "guest" had managed to piss her off even more.

 

[Infab]

"Zetter, shut the fuck up," Krawczyk snapped.

Adam cut her a look, a twinge of annoyance appearing on his face. He was tired of this. He hadn't done anything to these people but tried to help, and offer some conversation. And so, he chose to continue talking.

"I'll shut up when you pull that mile long stick out of your ass. Sergeant." he stated, quite bluntly.

 

[Breadman]

Behind enemy lines

"Vulture squad, come in." The group of commandoes stopped in their tracks as they heard the general's voice. Sinclair looked around and found a nice spot among the ruins for them. Under Loren's watchful eye, they went inside a now wrecked residential building and huddled around a small device. After a second a holographic image of their general appreared over it. "Good to see you're still intact."

"Yeah, no thanks to the rookie." Sid didn't waste time to complain. Mordecai simply rolled his eyes.

"Not interested in your bitching while on the field." General Adler was the one who pushed for the project and their team to even be something in the first place, so of course he would be more hands on. That included keeping morale in check when he saw fit. "HQ wants our assets to coordinate on an operation that's underway. That includes any commando team that may be roaming behind enemy lines."

"What's the target sir?"

"That's the tricky part, Sinclair." Adler grimaced. His image was replaced by a satelite photo of a fuel plant. It looked to be to the west of their position. "Combined forces are making their way here. Don't need to tell you why that's a strategic asset." Mordecai glanced towards Sid. Maybe the general should, just in case. "We were tasked with making the Upiry's life hell behind the lines and that's what I want you to do for this target. You're in proximity to it, so you'll be temporarily transfered under the human part of our combined forces making a run for it. That means you'll do what they need you to do to the best of your abilites. Its a chance to prove you're good for something more than field testing toys."

"Of course, sir." Sinclair answered. "Anything else we need to know?"

"Upiry are dug in deep and are a major pain in the ass, so nothing new. You'll see a lot of aliens on our side. Upiry managed to piss off half the qudrant apparently."

"If it wasn't them, it would have been us." Jacob commented, earning a few glares his way.

"Anyway, like we briefed you before landing. Make sure that anything you've never seen before is an enemy before you shoot it."

"You hear that, Sid?" Mordecai looked to the man.

"Fuck off, newbie."

"We're on it sir." Sinclair spoke in a more assured tone to get them both to shut it. The communication was cut and she picked up the device. Soon after their comms were patched through to their new commanders. Before she made contact, she glared to her men, making sure they shut up while they got their orders. "This is Vulture squadron 5's commanding officer - Sinclair. We've been transfered under your command to assist with the capture of the fuel plant. Squad is at full strength bionically enhanced commandoes located to the east of the target. Where do you want us?"

---
Boyan had remained quiet after his little scavenging had unearthed something strange. He'd have to take the time to look at it proper after this mission. As for now his attention was drawn to the prisoner trying really hard to get on everyone's nerves.

 

[K0mori]

"I'll shut up when you pull that mile long stick out of your ass. Sergeant." he stated, quite bluntly.

Oberto visible winced at Zetter's words, because he knew how Krawczyk would react.

Instantly, her anger seemed to boil over. "If you've got a problem following my orders, then I have no problem losing you in this alley so the El'uth can find you." She spat with a telling glance at Ki'mun. She stepped in, close enough that Oberto felt the need to be ready to pull her away if things escalated any quicker, but she pushed his hand away and got into Zetter's face regardless. "You got lucky once. You were only captured, not killed. Think you can do it again?"

"I think he gets the point," Oberto interrupted, more forcefully this time as he physically asserted himself in front of Krawczyk. "We can talk all day long about all the different ways we can frag this motherfucker if he can't stop running his mouth, but that's not gonna get those civilians out of the refinery. And you-" he said, turning around and shoving Zetter backwards against the side of the APC, "you can bitch and moan about sticks up asses when the bombs are falling on your people - your friends, your family. Understood?"

Somewhere along the line, Oberto's tone had changed from a flash of rage to something more like pleading. Sometime, hopefully soon, Zetter wouldn't be his problem anymore, but until then he just needed the man's cooperation for long enough that Krawczyk doesn't get herself court martialed.

 

[Infab]

By now, Sam had returned from searching the bodies of the dead marines. He had been drawn to the shouting, and soon enough was standing near Krawczyk. His hand rested on the grip of his combat revolver, eyeing Adam and the others as they spoke.

Adam, meanwhile, simply looked between them. He was unimpressed by Krawczyk's words, but Oberto's statement made him actually smile.

"What friends and family?" he soon spoke, his tone low. "I had all of my friends shot. For you. The El'uth that I surrendered to did the job. Every single one, shot and killed. The whole fucking platoon."

"They're all dead because I wanted to help you, you ungrateful bastards. I have been trying to help you this entire fucking time. Every time I speak, you barely listen to me. I pointed out tank flaws, and even volunteered to feed the tanks false intel to distract them and save your asses from getting shot to fucking pieces. I pointed out medical kits on the Marines, so you could heal up AFTER you got shot up. I pointed out the water storage so you could save your fishman's life. All you see is an Upyri coward, selling out his own using scraps of intel so he can save his own hide. I'm doing this to help win this fucking war. So you can reclaim this world from those monsters that I used to call my leaders and superiors. To eventually atone for every god damned mistake I've made in my life up to this point."

"And family? The moment they find out I deserted, my family is already dead. Imperial Intelligence will round them up and execute them. They'll be deemed 'tainted', as they raised a traitor. So what family will I have left to get bombed? What friends?"

He then looked to Krawczyk. "I don't want much in return. Just to be treated like a god damned person instead of being threatened with gags or death. If that's too much, stick the fucking gag on me and send me to a POW camp once this is over."

Adam then shrugged, looking between Oberto and Krawczyk. "Or better yet, since you still think I'm some piece of shit that deserves a bullet, fucking shoot me already. Because I've honestly had enough. A bullet is the faster way out, and I won't have to deal with any of you, those fuckers beyond that fence, or this war anymore. I'll be at peace."

 

[K0mori]

Throughout Zetter's rant, Krawczyk's expression intensified. Oberto's attention was cut in two, his eyes darting from the Upyri's ugly smile back to Krawczyk's unblinking, furious stare.

"So what family will I have left to get bombed? What friends?"

Oberto couldn't help but roll his eyes and groan, which quickly turned into an explosive shouting of his own. "You want us to be grateful!? Your side invaded ours and glassed an entire planet; the trauma that you and your marines put yourselves through while you were busy jamming your fucking jackboots down our throats isn't a burden that we're about to shoulder with you. If we had gone to Hemera and wiped it off the fucking star charts, we wouldn't be talking about water coolers and band aid boxes, you fucking freak!"

He then looked to Krawczyk. "I don't want much in return. Just to be treated like a god damned person instead of being threatened with gags or death. If that's too much, stick the fucking gag on me and send me to a POW camp once this is over."

Zetter's tone seemed to retreat from his more inflammatory statements when he realized that Oberto wasn't about to play "good cop" with him much longer. There was a lull in the argument, and the latter seemed to relax for a bit, but the glare on the other sergeant's face was enough to prompt one more poorly-chosen remark out of the Upyri lieutenant.

"Or better yet, since you still think I'm some piece of shit that deserves a bullet, fucking shoot me already. Because I've honestly had enough. A bullet is the faster way out, and I won't have to deal with any of you, those fuckers beyond that fence, or this war anymore. I'll be at peace."

Oberto wanted to ask him why being quiet was somehow more difficult than taking a bullet to the brain when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and he barely had time to lunge and swat with his arm at the pistol Krawczyk had just unholstered. "FINE." Her finger squeezed on the trigger just as Oberto reached her, and the bullet's path was deflected just slightly, striking Zetter in the soft tissue of his upper shoulder, rather than square the face as Krawczyk intended.

Krawczyk (Pistol) vs Zetter at Close Quarters: 3 DMG
Zetter: 12 HP

"What the fuck, Iga!?" Oberto screamed at her while Zetter shrunk back in shock and searing pain. Only now did she seem to snap out of the fury that was possessing her moments earlier, and she immediately jammed the gun back into its holster.

"Fuck! Shit!" she said, turning away and walking several paces.

 

[Infab]

Adam stumbled over some debris on the ground, as he recoiled from the hit to his shoulder. Eventually, he hit the ground on his rear. The pain was intense; there really wasn't any padding or proper protection in that portion of his armor. The bullet had sliced right through, and now blood was oozing from the wound it had left behind.

Sam sprang into action, with a quick "Jesus Christ!" as he darted after Adam. He shoved Adam off his side on the ground, pushing him onto his back and sitting him up so that he could inspect the damage.

"You're fucking insane, you know that?" muttered Sam, not really caring if Adam actually heard him.

"Tell me about it. I deserved that." he responded, forcing Sam to glance over at his face for a moment before returning to the wound.

"What the fuck were you thinking? Do you really want to die?"

"At this stage, it should be more of a 'how should I die' instead of if I want to. And I stopped thinking after the stick comment."

The comment made Sam pause again, but Adam glanced around to him as he stopped. "Don't worry. I won't say another word. And I'm staying away from her."

Sam eyed him for a few moments, before shaking his head and continuing with his work. Meanwhile, Ki'mun and Ja'thal had simply watched the exchange. Once it was over, Ki'mun only offered a simple statement.

"Your aim was off." she said bluntly, eyeing Adam before turning about and stepping away. Ja'thal remained where he was, waiting for the group to be ready before they moved on towards the cache and fence.

 

[joshuadim]

Boiling point. And the kettle had burst, as the Upyri goaded Krawczyk into her trying to blow his brains out. Had Oberto not been there, she would have succeeded, but now they were left with a shit situation. And a very visibly rattled CO who stormed away. Mazurek gritted his teeth as the situation ended, with Sam tending to their prisoner's wounds: "Fucking shit." he said under his breath as he quickly went to were Krawczyk had left to. For a moment, he considered letting her go off on her own - in case she still felt violent - but he pressed onwards and approached her after she had made some distance away from the others.

The commotion had drawn the attention of others in the squads, as they had their own mixed reactions to what had just happened. He quickly marched to Krawczyk's side, sparing a glance towards the others, before returning his attention: "Ma'am. Things are bad enough as is." he said with a hushed voice, "If we're about to enter another fight, will you have a clear head?"

 

[K0mori]

The commotion had drawn the attention of others in the squads, as they had their own mixed reactions to what had just happened. He quickly marched to Krawczyk's side, sparing a glance towards the others, before returning his attention: "Ma'am. Things are bad enough as is." he said with a hushed voice, "If we're about to enter another fight, will you have a clear head?"

Krawczyk stared into space for a moment. She felt the weight of the crime she had committed, and of the much worse crime she had attempted. She felt the weight of a court martial, the weight of dishonorable discharge and the weight of imprisonment. Her breathing was rapid and her skin was pale; Mazurek could recognize that she was near the breaking point, and his question wasn't a realistic one. Before she could even answer, Oberto cut in.

"Iga," he said. His voice was quiet, but with the intensity of a lightning strike ahead of thunder. "You know I can't disarm you and shut this shit down. Not now. We're knocking on their door. If we make it through, we'll decide how we're going to handle this. But we have to make it through. Do you understand?"

Krawczyk nodded, swallowing as the threats were put into line. The upyri were still trying to kill her and the rest of her unit. They were still just minutes from charging into the primary objective. There would be no reckoning until the guns fell silent, and so the only option was to push forward. "It's your call," she said, placing the responsibility of commanding the unit entirely in Oberto's hands, more in line with what Lt. Das had ordered.

"Keep your distance from Zetter, and focus on my orders," Oberto replied, and she answered affirmatively. Once the Sergeant had turned away to corral the other soldiers back into a fighting unit, Krawczyk answered Mazurek.

"I'll do my part," she said to the Corporal, giving him the only true reassurance she could offer.



The plan was a simple one. Patrol 2 would resupply itself from the El'uth cache, and then proceed on foot to the fence line and sneak into the facility at the location marked by Ki'mun, as going in guns-blazing in an armored vehicle wasn't a wise idea around explosive materials. They would attempt to locate any civilians still trapped in the plant and escort them out of the facility to the south, back toward UFS forces, killing any marines that stood in their way. Once the refinery structure was taken, the fuel would be cut off to the Gateway, preventing the Upyri from refueling their vessels any further, and trapping them in the hangars so that the allied forces could surround them and force a surrender.

Oberto was now in complete control, helping to restore the confidence of the unit and put them back on solid ground. The day was almost done; the glow of electric lightning was now detectable on the air as the sun began to settle into the twilight of the day. One last push was all that was needed to finally earn some rest.

"Anyone got cutters?" Oberto asked as they neared the spot the El'uth recommended. "Hell, Mazurek, that Kosok raygun could probably put a hole through it..."

 

[Infab]

"Anyone got cutters?" Oberto asked as they neared the spot the El'uth recommended. "Hell, Mazurek, that Kosok raygun could probably put a hole through it..."

"Probably wouldn't be the best idea... gunshots and all that." responded Sam, as he began to dig through his medical pouch. He had a special pair of cutters, which could cut through standard wire fences. You never knew, as a medic, when you'd encounter something metal you'd have to cut out of a wound. He held them up once he found them. "I have some cutters, if that'll work. It'll take a minute to cut a way in with them, but really we just need to cut a flap open large enough to crawl through."

Ki'mun glanced back, looking at the cutting pliers for a moment. She raised an eyebrow, as if thinking, before nodding. "Yes, that should be enough. It is a typical metal wire fence, so those will work. There are thicker, bar-like fences farther in, but we will not need to cut through those." she stated.

"Why not?" asked Sam.

"Doors built into the fences. We can break the locks, if need be."

"Ahhh... right." he muttered, soon shifting his attention back to the unit and offering up the cutting pliers. Whoever wanted to take initiative could do so, as he himself would be watching their captive.

Adam, behind him and far away from Krawczyk, had been silent after his exchange with Sam. Choosing to keep his thoughts and comments to himself, after taking a bullet from Krawczyk. A bullet he deserved for shooting his mouth off. If he intended for these people to trust him, only the right actions would help him. Maybe here, in this fuel plant, he'd get the chance to prove himself.

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek was not a hundred percent convinced by Krawczyk's affirmation, but put his faith in it anyway; it was all he had to go on at the moment regardless. They had to reach the objective as a coherent unit, and so Mazurek joined the others as they pushed ahead. The fuel plant was within their sights, and the plan was set in motion as the Corporal. "I agree with Sam, too much noise." he said, before crouching down in position close to the fence. Kang was nearby as well, preparing for the inevitable firefight they would likely find themselves in at their objective. Mazurek turn his head around for a moment and offered a reassuring thumbs up to her, as to indicate: 'We'll make it.'

 

[Infab]

When nobody took the cutters from Sam, he shrugged. Guess he was doing it himself. He was likely faster than the others with them, given he was experienced in their use. He, however, would need help with the fence once the cuts had been made. He glaced back, and noticed Boyan was free.

Boyan was one of the group that he really hadn't had much of an interaction with beyond the occasional few words here and there. If they were all going to survive this, unit cohesion was a must. They needed to talk more, and work together.

"Boyan, come help me out." said Sam, motioning for him to follow. As they approached the wire fence, the El'uth got into defensive positions nearby. Their weapons were shouldered, the scouts prepared to plant high caliber ammunition in any targets that made their presence known.

Sam was soon in position, and made his first cuts along the base of the fence. One by one, the wire links were snipped and cut away from their concrete base. As he worked, he looked back to Boyan. Time to make some small talk.

"So, think we have the Upryi on the run? Or think they may just be reevaluating things over on their side of the border? Hard to butt heads with a solid coalition of races when you were originally only worried about a single race in particular." he said, "I don't believe they thought the Kosoks would jump in like they did."

 

[Breadman]

Others were busy talking the plan out, but Boyan wasn't too much into that part of the plan. Where they pointed, he would go. While he waited, he indulged himself in a smoke. Thats when Sam called him over for help. He eyed their medic for a moment and shrugged. Should keep himself busy.

"Ida ida." He said as he walked after Sam to help with the fences. Sam would cut the wires and Boyan would assist. As things go, small talk would happen "They're used to dominating. They do it by bombing people who can't fight back and making it misserable for the rest. Now it turned around and they don't know what to do, but burn everything." He was quet for a moment. "Or like our prisoner. Hand yourself over and hope you get away with just getting spat on."

 

[K0mori]

After a few minutes of work, the fence was neatly snipped open about two feet from the bottom. Oberto inspected the cut and nodded. "Yeah, that's enough," he said, motioning the others to slide through the opening as he pulled back on his side of the chain link. One by one, the soldiers of Patrol 2 slipped through by crawling on their bellies, uniting on the grounds of the Achenar Gateway for the first time. Atlas was the last to cross, due to the bulk of his suit, and the cut had to be extended several links upwards to accommodate him.

Once everyone was through, they moved across the gravel and grass to the concrete foundation pad of the complex. Quickly, they emerged from the shadowy periphery and entered the white flood lights that kept the work site viable after hours, but there weren't any signs of workers, yet. Oberto motioned to them to turn their flashlights on; there was no telling when the plant's lights might be turned off, and unlike the upyri, who had night vision built directly into their helmets, the human soldiers were forced to utilize older equipment that had been the standard long before the war.

The plant was rectangular, consisting of six square structures, each three stories tall, and each with its own central stairwell. The lowest level was mostly filled with pumping machinery and electrical ductwork as well as generators; power from the city had been lost quite a long time ago, but the plant remained self-sufficient thanks to a combination of solar power cells, like many other occupied buildings elsewhere, and the generators which could leech off of the fuel being refined on location. This meant that the ground floor was extremely loud, and mostly-automated, as workers would not be needed to manage the equipment minute to minute, especially when ear protection would be needed at all times.

It was for these reasons that Patrol 2 wasn't alarmed at the lack of workers here and instead intended to move to the second floor. However, Sgt Oberto led them away from the closest stairwell, which would bring them into one of the complex's middle cells where they could potentially be surrounded on three sides. Instead, they crossed the facility, ducking under pipes and moving between the machines, until they reached the stairwell at the far northeast corner. This would not only cut down on the enemy's opportunity to pin them in place, but it was also the least-likely place for the humans to attack from, given the vectors of the overall battleplan, which would lead one to expect an attack from the southwest.

However, this long jog through the loud, crowded machinery halls was exhausting for multiple reasons; the noise and vibrations were nerve-wracking and prevented anyone within the Patrol to communicate verbally, and most were feeling a bit sick when they finally reached the stairs.

---
​

"Sir, we've got a perimeter breach to the south," one of the guardsmen said, looking at a security system monitor in the plant's control room on the third floor.

The Captain walked up beside him and looked at the screen for himself. "They cut a hot wire in the fence... Must be spec ops; they're trying to get the technicians out with a few fire teams," he explained, a smirk on his lips. Perfection. Had it been a larger force, then he would have to abandon his original plan. But now he would have the best of both worlds: He'd be able to crush a UFS unit with his guardsmen without having to abandon the remaining fuel, and then, once the Kosoks finally reached the landing pads, he could pull a quick evacuation from the rooftop, if needed, and detonate the remaining stockpile while they were still in the kill zone.

A chime on the comm system came in. "This is Darwin. Over," the Captain said as he answered the call. "...Yes, we're aware. Keep your engines hot; we're moving out. Over." Another moment passed. "Understood. Over and out."

The other men and women in the control room paused in their duties and looked to the Captain for guidance. The lead engineer of the fuel plant, however, kept his focus on the terminal in front of him, carefully monitoring the flow of fuel and making adjustments as necessary. He had been at work now for 12 hours, as the upyri had awakened him in the early morning in order to deliver as much fuel as possible to the occupying force. He had been promised that he and his techs would be released at the conclusion of the upyri evacuation, and was kept unaware of the executions which had taken place at multiple points during this marathon work shift. Each time a process had been finished and would not be re-run, machinery would be shut down, crews would be taken into a nearby hangar under the pretense of waiting in a safe shelter for the humans to retake the base, and then the upyri would kill them.

The lead engineer pressed on, holding out hope that once the fuel lines were severed from the massive warships on the landing pads, he would be able to rest, and would awaken to a liberated world.

"There they are!" a guardsman called out, pointing to a video feed from the northwest corner's CCTV cameras. The Patrol had just reached the stairs.

Darwin turned to his soldiers. "Let's clear out of here! Move!" he shouted, and a lieutenant nearby grabbed the lead engineer under his arm and yanked him out of his seat. The guardsmen moved to the doorway and crashed out onto the walkways outside the control room in the open air. The twilight hour had bathed the exterior of the plant in an eerie orange glow due to the fires in the area, and despite smoke obscuring much of their surroundings, it was abundantly clear that the enemy was at the gate. Of course, being in such an elite unit meant that they were expected to operate calmly and efficiently even under these extreme conditions. As the soldiers fanned out across the third floor, gathering up the six remaining technicians on that floor so that they could descend, Patrol 2 was climbing the stairs up to the level below.

---
​

Auto-262 reached the top of the stairs first, beaming its sightlines back to a tablet where Oberto and Krawczyk were keeping watch on the landing below. Almost immediately, one of the enemy guardsmen on the second floor caught sight of the robot and began to shoot, shouting "contact!" moments before a El'uth sniper put a hole through his heart from a distance of 200 yards. Another voice yelled from elsewhere on the floor: "sniper, get down!"

"Let's go!" Oberto shouted, and the Patrol pushed up the steps to the second floor, aiming to clear out the ten or so guardsmen there and rescue the workers. But now they began to realize how few of them were at their posts; there were only four or five on the entire second floor of the complex.

 

[Infab]

Well, this is it. Try not to get shot to pieces, Sam.

Sam said a silent prayer, before charging up the stairs with the rest of Patrol 2. Adam was close behind, keeping his head down as he actually couldn't do anything except hide and follow behind them.

The moment Sam passed through the doorway onto the second floor, a bullet zipped by his head. Close enough to snip a few strands of hair off the right side of his head near his temple. He fell down sideways, behind something like a computer terminal, before pulling himself further into cover. Adam flung himself into cover behind him, landing roughly and groaning. Gotta remember that gunshot wound.

Sam mumbled to himself under his breath, sitting up and moving into a crouched position with his rifle readied. Lots of cover here. Mainly computer terminals and desks. As the others took up their own positions, he peeked up over the terminal he was using for cover and took aim. A guardsman was across the room, looking to take out the robot with a well placed shot.

A burst of gunfire from Sam's rifle caught the guardsman's shoulder, forcing him onto his rear. But it also gave away his position to another guardsman, who was quick to take a return shot at him. Sam narrowly avoided it, ducking back down into cover as the bullets collided with the terminal and the wall behind him.

"This would be much easier if you cut me loose and gave me a fucking gun!" spat Adam behind him.

"NOT NOW, IDIOT." was Sam's response, before lifting his rifle over his head and blind firing a pair of three round bursts over the terminal in the direction from where he had been shot at.

Adam groaned, before scooting sideways a bit. He could peek around the terminal's side from where he was laying, and could probably spot the shooter's exact position. Instead, he managed to spot the guardsman on the move towards them. They had moved out of cover, and were crouch-walking down a line of terminals and desks towards them.

"Sam, left side."

"I SAID NOT NOW!"

"LEFT-FUCKING-SIDE."

Adam then firmly kicked Sam's leg out from under him, forcing the medic to fall onto his back in front of Adam. Allowing him to see the very same thing that Adam was seeing. Oh shit. Sam's rifle came up, pressed into his shoulder as he looked down the line of terminals and desks, and he fired off a burst at the approaching guardsman. The bullets ripped through the man's upper chest and neck, the guardsman falling backwards onto the floor shortly afterwards.

"Fucking thank you." muttered Adam. That was one guardsman wounded, another dead.

 

[Breadman]

"Looks like they don't want us anywhere." Sid complained again as if he didn't say the same thing a few minutes ago.

"Are you a broken record?" Jacob put down his binoculars and turned around to face his team mate. "Do you think complaining harder will get us moving?"

"You got a better idea?" The cyborg looked to the fuel depot. "We got diverted to help them, but all we're doing is sitting around."

"I thought that's what you wanted?" Mordecai answered calmly, not bothering to look up from his wrist pad. "An easy job after nearly getting your ass turned inside out by a tank."

"Yeah...because of you!" Sid pointed to the second in command who still didn't see the need to look at him. "I'm talking to you."

"I can hear that." Mordecai finally looked up. "Now shut up and sit down. I'm almost done."

"What are you doing exactly?"

"Patching myself through. Despite his complaining, Sid has a point. We're sitting here doing nothing while the main attack group is moving forward." A few more clicks and his eye feed was synced up. "There. Established an encrypted link to a camera on one of the soldier's helmets moving inside. Check your holo." The other members of the commando team could now see what Mordecai saw on their holopads. "Loren, can you make a guess where they are?"

"From my point? Yes." The team's sniper had positioned himself on a tower overlooking one of the roads leading to the fuel depot. Once a security checkpoint, now only good for people trying to look inside.

"Who's this we're watching anyway?" Jacob put his binoculars away.

"Boyan Novy. Regular Joe army with some notes attached to his name." Throgh the augmented eye, Mordecai started to look through this soldier's dossier. "Interesting. Survived the Danube purges and made it all the way to the Istanbul offensive. There's...a restricted file."

"Don't tell me we got a spook in there."

"No, files are our department. Sol Army Development. Archaic logo and everything."

"He's augmented?"

"Can't tell, need someone with higher clearance to give me access." Mordecai's eye shifted to Saintclaire "Commander?"

"Denied, rookie." Her answer was cold. "Trust me, you don't want to open that can of worms right now." From a glance it was obvious she wouldn't bother listening to any argument otherwise.

"Yes ma'am." He said with a resigned tone. This was going to bother him. Why is one of theirs down there? What is he searching for? Is this why they were diverted? "Loren, keep an eye out." They kept looking at the footage as Novy followed his team inside. Mordecai trying to guess what exactly his mission was. Why pretend to be a regular grunt?

Boyan made it up the stairs right after Sam and Adam. The fire from the guardsmen forced him to seek cover instantly. The terminals and desks would have to do, but it wasn't clear for how long they would last. He peeked from cover and took shots at the guards across from him only to be met with a hail of bullets coming his way. They were in a better position than him and it didn't look like they would budge.

"Ping him." Loren said over comms to Mordecai and he would oblige. From his own position Loren had a limited view compared to the El'uth allies the team had at their disposal, but it was good enough for what he needed. He could see where Boyan was and judging by the direct feed, he had an idea where the two guards are. Time to put more of that RnD to work. The augmented lens of his scope interfaced with his own bionics allowing him to take a precise shot exactly where he needed.

He loaded a dark green tipped round into his riffle and fired it directly at the wall of the compound. Sid instantly started taunting him over hitting a broad side of a barn, completely oblivious that on the other side of the wall were the two guards that were exchanging shots with Boya. The bullet had embedded itself in the wall which activated its main function. The munition detonated with its charge aimed forwards. The brick it had embedded itself in had transformed from construction material to shrapnell that embedded itself in the two guards.

Boyan peeked from his cover and wondered what the hell just happened. There was hardly any time to question it. Two more down.

"Scratch another in favor of Sol's munitions development program." Loren spoke calmly while observing for any counter-sniping.

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek followed with Kang in tow as the Squad began their assault; having fiddled around with it prior, he made sense of how to prime it with a small button press not too dissimilar to a safety on a regular firearm. The weapon came to life with a small rumble, indicating that it was ready for action as the Corporal drew it to his front. He joined Oberto on the second floor and also took note of how little enemy presence there was. He kept his thoughts in the back of his mind as gunfire erupted, leaving Mazurek to quickly take cover behind a support pillar. Concrete cracked and broke apart as it took the brunt of enemy fire, allowing Mazurek to peek out of cover and steady his aim. The sights on the weapon weren't all too dissimilar to iron sighs on a rifle.

He closed one eye and took aim, making a split second decision to then pull the trigger. Heavy and hot force blasted out from the tip of the weapon, with exhaust heat gracing the Corporal's face as a bolt of plasma arced towards its target. On impact, the Upyri soldier screamed as it melted through his armor and into his flesh. He collapsed, writing in agony in a desperate attempt to remove the melting materials from his body. A moment passed until shock took hold of his body and ceased to function, leaving Mazurek to exhale. He hadn't expected the level of kickback from the weapon, having nearly lost his grip when pulling the trigger. He took a mental note to compensate for later exchanges as he ducked back into cover as if expecting a retaliation.

"Cover me!" Mazurek then shouted, pushing ahead to take point. He bolted towards another support pillar for the complex up ahead and slid towards it. The dust from the floor below provided additional area cover as Mazurek's body kicked it all up around him. More fire from the Upyri troops whizzed by, colliding with the walls nearby as the Corporal made his gambit for cover.

 

[K0mori]

As Mazurek pushed in, Krawczyk stepped up with several members of Squad 10 to lay down suppressing fire on the enemy. It wasn't long, however, before one of the stray bullets in the exchange struck a pipe which began to spew a liquid fuel component onto the concrete decking, where it pooled and ran to the edges before drizzling to the floor below. A heavy chemical smell filled the air, similar to alcohol or petroleum. An alarm sounded from one of the work stations, and it wasn't long until a worker emerged from behind cover with his hands raised in the air. Barely able to stand without cowering back, he willed himself forward to a control panel and pressed the emergency stop button.

As the heavy pumps began to wind down, the technician was struck by a stray bullet and fell to the floor. Krawczyk yelled to Acheson, who immediately stepped up to retrieve him, but the hail of fire from the enemy guardsmen was too heavy for him to get any closer. Taking matters into her own hands, Krawczyk pulled a smoke grenade from her hip, discarded the pin, and threw it down the catwalks toward the enemy position.

Meanwhile, Palencia, Hilmarrson, and McFarlane moved through the cluttered walkways in an attempt to flank, but were caught off-guard by the guardsmen descending the stairs from above. An exchange of bullets saw one upyri killed, but both Hilmarrson and McFarlane were shot, leaving Palencia to double back. In a panicked scramble, he grabbed Hilmarrson off the ground and dragged him toward cover, where Caine was still pinned down as the claustrophobic firefight wore on. Behind him, McFarlane rolled over and tried to crawl back to safety, but was gunned down by the enemy.

"Oh fuck... McFarlane!" Oberto screamed, running toward his comrade, but it was too late before he even started moving. The upyri would have added the Sargent's body to the pile, but sniper fire from the El'uth kept them at bay. Before Oberto could try again, more smoke began to pour in from below; unlike the harmless cannister Krawczyk had tossed before, this smoke was heavy, dark, and oily. Whatever had been leaking moments earlier had caught fire on the lower level, and the eye-watering fumes were further degrading visibility. Soon, the Upyri would have a strong advantage due to their enclosed helmets.

The two exchanges were occurring 90-degrees out from each other, with each of the two squad leaders focused on their own side. Oberto started to call for AUTO-262, but Krawczyk had already ordered it to retrieve the wounded technician. As it disappeared into the heavy smoke, Krawczyk checked over toward Oberto and realized from the man's distress and from the arrival of Hilmarrson, who was injured, that their position was faltering. She unsheathed her knife and took a leap over the nearest control panel, screaming as she disappeared into the smoke in search of McFarlane.

The commlink chimed. It was a warning that AUTO-262 was no longer operational; fire from an enemy LMG had ripped through the robot and disabled it at some point after it had disappeared into the smoke. Despite his fears, Acheson decided to press forward and do as Sgt. Krawczyk had done, moving into the smoky plume and feeling around on the floor until his fingers met an arm, which quickly wrapped its hand around his wrist. The medic pulled the technician towards himself and scrambled backwards towards the safe stairwell, miraculously escaping enemy fire without being cut down himself.

Over the comms, Krawczyk cracked in hastily: "McFarlane's dead and I'm pinned down! Over!" she called out. There were flashes from inside the smoke toward the top of the enemy's stairwell, the bullets banging off the metal supports and steps as Krawczyk fought through stinging, smoke-filled eyes.

"Move up! Go!" Oberto screamed, coughing as he got up again. As he moved in, Cpl Chou arrived beside him, and the two covered fire at a distance and took down another upyri guardsman with their combined fire, the man's body falling over the railing and plunging 20 feet to the concrete floor below. Krawczyk emerged from the smoke, suddenly, nearly running into Chou in the process. With her, one of the fuel plant's technicians, who had suddenly broken into a fearful sprint away from safe cover, had reached her fellow humans. "Move her out...!" Krawczyk hacked through wheezing coughs as Oberto grabbed his fellow sergeant and pulled her towards safety at the next stairwell over.

By this point, a fire suppression system had fully activated, and foam was beginning to spill from pipes in the ceiling of all three floors. The fire had been well-contained, thanks to the safety insulation on every surface, but the smoke was still lingering. There was no time to dwell on the potential health hazards as the teams sought to secure the last few workers on the floor, whom were all huddled behind a work station in another section of the facility, with two guardsmen standing over them. The final guardsman with his LMG was still an issue at the far corner, keeping the bulk of Squads 9 and 10 pinned down. Bullets were still being traded between the two floors, but Atlas decided to take a more direct approach.

Without a word, the lumbering fishman jogged up the stairs directly above the Patrol's entry point, where an enemy upyri had just reached the top end of said stairs. Atlas grabbed him before he could shoot, and after a series of headbutts which left the guardsman increasingly disoriented, Atlas threw him forcefully down the steps toward the landing. The man barely had his feet under him before his momentum carried him to the railing and he fell over backwards, screaming as he fell the remaining distance to the ground. Kang, who was still in the corner of the landing, rushed to the railing with her pistol and fired on the injured marine until he took a fatal shot to the head.

That's when a voice came over the fuel plant's PA.

"Hold your fire. This is Darwin, Captain of this Honor Guard unit," he said, his voice originating from some unknown location on the third floor. "...I have to admit: you caught my men off guard, attacking from that angle. But you should know that I ordered them to monitor all the stairwells and position themselves ahead of time. If they died as a result, then they deserved it for failing to carry out their orders with fidelity."

The bullets had stopped, allowing the humans to communicate with the disembodied voice. "So what's your fuckin' point, Darwin?" Oberto demanded. "Are you going to surrender to us, or let the Kosoks turn your 'unit' into chum, huh?"

There was a pause, and then a slowly rising, utterly dismissive chuckle. "Whoever that was that spoke... nobody's surrendering today. Not you, and certainly not us. The fire system did a good job keeping everything here nice and safe, but C4 ought to overcome any safeguards like that. We're going to blow the fuck out of this plant and kill as many xenos as possible once we're done having our fun with you." The microphone cut out soon after, but not before another voice could be heard in the background, shocked after overhearing this.

With everyone crouching behind cover, the silence from the lull in the battle was especially eerie. At any moment, if someone lifted their head too far, they would likely reignite the fight by taking a bullet through the skull. So they waited, and soon, the PA voice returned:

"Get up here, you fucking insects. I'm waiting."

There was a clack as the PA microphone was set down on a table top. A quieter voice, a man begging for his life, could be heard, before a single gunshot silenced him. The system then turned off again, and Krawczyk screamed something like: "fucking hell with this shit!" And in that instant, the shooting began anew.

 

[Infab]

They've wired the plant to explode, using bundles of C4 and whatever fuel remained in the tanks. They had planned this from the start. Lure everyone in, and decimate the xeno and human forces here in one massive blast. We had been told that we were simply guarding the facility until the ships were fueled and prepared to launch. We were going to rejoin the defensive array, abandoning the empty refinery to the humans and xenos. Take the bloodied nose, and retreat to better footing for a future offensive.

...This smells like Imperial Intelligence Services.

"Sam, I'm going to ask you once again to let me loose and give me a gun." said Adam, his tone more serious than ever.

Sam glanced back at him, and noted the look on his face. This was the most focused and serious that he had ever seen the traitorous Honor Guard lieutenant. His eyes were locked onto Sam's own, a frown on his face.

"I don't think we're dealing with simple Honor Guard anymore. You're going to need help here. You just lost two more of your own. Cut me loose, give me that revolver you're carrying and a few extra rounds, and let me help you put these fuckers in their graves. Maybe save as many of these technicians as we can while we're at it." stated Adam, turning slightly and wiggling his arms behind his back.

"Adam, if I cut you loose, Sarge will ki--"

"Tell them I broke free and drew your sidearm. If they shoot me, they shoot me. I'm probably not going to live long enough to see the end of the day anyway."

Sam stared back at Adam for a few moments, before quietly drawing his knife out and slipping behind Adam. The knife slipped into one of the loops, the blade sliding between Adam's hand and the zip-tie. Then, a sharp jerk severed the tie. Adam was now free.

He rubbed his wrist for a few moments, as Sam drew his revolver and spun it around in his hand. "Double action, six shots. .44 Magnum, penetrator tips. Sights are off, so shots pull a little to the left at past twenty yards. Haven't had the time to fix them, so correct your aim when needed." said the medic, as Adam took the revolver and popped the cylinder open. Fully loaded. A flick of the wrist, and the cylinder flipped back into place.

Sam handed him a handful of speed loaders from a pouch on his waist, each carrying six more shots. Adam took them, placing them into a metal box where normally magazines were held on his chest armor. He then looked to Sam, and nodded. "Let's go to work."

"You do anything funny, and I'll shoot you myself." muttered Sam, but he would then see Adam abruptly stand. A moment later, a loud, almost deafening THOW sounded off. A magnum round darted through the building, punching through the head of the LMG guardsman whom had the misfortune of being caught in the open while moving between cover. His helmet exploded from the force of the impact, and the contents of said helmet were splattered all over the wall behind him.

"Advancing on enemy position. This 'Darwin' fuck needs to die." he spat loudly, jumping over the cover that he and Sam had been behind. Sam was right behind, popping a fresh magazine into his rifle and racking the charging handle on the side as he ran.

They avoided some bursts of gunfire from above, Sam firing back a few times as he moved. Managing to wing a guardsman by sheer luck. Hopefully the others had heard and they'd have some support. Otherwise, he'd be following this crazed traitor into Hell. Potentially even their deaths.

 

[Breadman]

"Rookie, can you dig up anything on Darwin?"

"Besides theory of evolution and some decommissioned project with the same name, nothing."

"You'd think the ghosts would have picked through the Honor guard database."

"That's above our pay-grade, Jacob." Saintclair cut him a look before switching her comms directly to Loren "Can you take a shot at him?"

"If I could, his brain would be all over the walls." A shot could be heard from the distance, half a second later the bullet hit a few inches from where Loren was standing. "Have to move. Their sniper saw me." The member of the Vultures activated his cloaking device, buying himself a precious minute to run away from any danger. Unfortunately that means his support was out of the question for a while longer.

"Damn it." The commander spat out "Mordecai, keep an eye on our man while I think of something."

Inside the building things were heating up from back to front. Boyan moved from his cover and slid to the one in front, drawing some of the fire from Darwin's men. The distraction was enough for one of them to get clipped, but not enough to really let off the assault from the upiry forces. Sam was not only advancing, but Adam was with a gun as well? As much as Boyan didn't like the bastard, he was doing dirty work for them and they needed cover.

Now it was his turn to take shots as the duo moved. As the honor guard were concerned with taking them out, Boyan poked out of his cover and aimed his shots at the upiry soldiers, managin to hit two or three of them. This of course prompted a response from the others as they zeroed in on his position and their concentrated fire forced him back where he was hiding.